Jesse's Wish, page 10
‘How did it go?’ Sandy asks sympathetically.
‘Not well, to say the least. First Alex tells me it’s my fault, and Jesse now thinks the same. They both say I should have done more to make it happen and keep Dean out of the way. But I can’t do that, can I? It feels wrong to go against Dean like this. And Alex . . .’ She turns her head away, her brain buzzing.
‘What about Alex?’ Sandy prompts.
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Kelly shifts in her seat, she can’t get comfortable. Her clothes feel too restrictive. ‘He’s so prickly. He’s hard to pin down.’
‘Well . . .’ Sandy looks like she was about to say something but thought better of it.
Kelly looks up sharply. ‘What?’
Sandy leans back in her seat. ‘Just that you could have been nicer to him. Made him feel welcome on the ward, offered to run interference with Dean, been supportive of Jesse’s wish, helped—’
‘Hey, slow down. I came in here looking for comfort.’
‘Kelly, listen to me. It’s not just me saying this. Othershave noticed too. We’re worried about you. Is everything all right?’
‘I’m fine, it’s just this guy rattles me, I don’t know what it is about him, he just . . .’
‘Represents what you and Dean can’t face: Jesse running out of options.’ Sandy looks into her friend’s eyes with deep concern. ‘Kelly, do you think you’ve become too attached to Jesse?’
‘No!’ Kelly rubs her forehead. ‘Yes . . . Maybe. I don’t know.’
‘Don’t take this the wrong way, Kelly. Would it be better if one of your colleagues could step in with Jesse and navigate her wish? I have to say – I am worried that Jesse’s wish is becoming too much of a focus.’
Kelly’s stomach lurches. She knows what’s at stake. Passing this on to someone else feels like a cop-out, an abdication of her responsibilities. But perhaps Sandy is right: she hasn’t been putting Jesse’s needs first and foremost. ‘No, that’s not necessary, Sandy. I want, no, I need to sort this out and see it through. I owe it to Jesse. I’ll make sure not to let my personal feelings get in the way anymore.’
Sandy nods. ‘OK. I’m here if you need me. You can always run anything past me first. Remember, you can’t do everything on your own. Sometimes you’re going to have to give up control.’
Kelly understands this, but it’s hard. She’s always been independent, always made her own way in the world, without the help of her family. She says goodbye to Sandy and heads out the door. Determined that whatever she does, she must find a way to make Jesse’s wish come true.
She picks up the phone and dials a number. ‘Hi, Mandy, it’s Kelly. As you know, Dean is making the staff stop Alex from seeing Jesse. I need your help to make sure she gets her wish.’
CHAPTER 16
A
fter Kelly leaves the room, Jesse climbs back on Amy’s bed. She feels bad for shouting at her, no one is listening to her, no one – none of the adults, at least – can understand what she is creating with Alex. Why don’t they get it?
‘Don’t worry, Jesse. I’ll fix this for you. You will get your wish,’ Amy says full of confidence.
Jesse bursts out laughing.
‘What’s so funny?’ Amy asks.
‘You. I’m picturing you fixing this for me while lying in bed receiving chemo. You know the drill, just because you’re in remission doesn’t mean you immediately stop the drugs and chucking.’
Amy joins her laughing. ‘All right, so I can’t fix it straight away, but you get me the name of Alex’s company and I’ll fix it.’
‘All I want is a simple wish to help bring my family back together. Something for my family to remember me by. I want them to be a family again. Is that too much to ask?’
As the two girls hug, Ryan and Luke wander in.
‘What’s going on?’ Ryan asks.
‘Amy’s going to tell my dad and Kelly that Alex is coming back, and they can’t say no. Can you imagine my dad’s face when she says that?’ Jesse says giggling.
‘Jesse needs her wish,’ Amy tells the boys.
‘And Jesse is going to get it,’ Ryan says looking at Amy and Luke.
‘Dream team assemble!’
‘We saw your dad and Alex fighting last night,’ Luke tells the girls. ‘It wasn’t pretty.’
‘Oh, groan,’ wails Jesse.
‘Luke, have you got your phone with you?’ Ryan asks.
Luke pulls his phone from his pocket. ‘Yeah, do you want it?’
‘Yes, I do. Now what’s the name of the company Alex works for, Tri something?’
‘TriOptic Studios,’ Jesse says. ‘Why, what are you going to do?’
Ryan searches on Google. Finding what he is looking for he hits ‘call’.
‘Hello, hi, can I talk to whoever is in charge, please?’ the others hear Ryan say. ‘Well, if he’s not around, can I speak to the next person in charge, please?’
‘Good manners,’ Amy whispers.
After a short while, someone comes to the phone.
‘Hi, Steve, is it? Well, my name is Ryan. I’m calling on behalf of my friend Jesse, she’s in hospital and one of your employees, Alex something . . .’
‘Oh, you know him, good. Well, here’s the deal. He’s meant to be helping my friend Jesse . . .’
‘Oh, you know about that. Well, good. So can you please tell him to stop being a moron, get his butt back to the hospital and get on with making Jesse’s wish.’
Ryan listens for a while.
‘Yeah, but he’s not going to let a little problem like her dad stop him from doing what he’s paid to do, is he?’
Ryan listens some more.
‘All right, thanks, Steve, I knew I could count on you. OK, you’re right, I don’t know you, but I was sure once I made this call, we could sort it out. Yeah, you have a word with him, and we’ll see him back here as soon as possible. Thanks, Steve, you’re the man.’
He presses the end button on the phone with a flourish, grinning to the rest of the group.
‘“You’re the man”?! What are you thinking?’ Amy groans.
The others are in varying states of hysteria; Jesse is laughing so hard she has tears rolling down her cheeks.
‘He sounded like a dude, so I was trying to sound like him.’
‘Not a sixteen-year-old kid, huh?’
‘Hey, he’s going to tell Alex to come back.’
‘Thank you, Ryan, that was the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. But I’m pleased you’ve spoken to someone who might be able to get through to Alex,’ Jesse says, giving him a quick hug.
‘My turn,’ says Amy, taking the phone from Ryan.
‘Who are you calling?’ Jesse asks.
‘Your dad. Someone needs to set him straight.’
‘Please, Amy, don’t call my dad. You’ll only make it worse.’ Her stomach is in knots.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, please don’t.’
‘Well, can I say something to your mum when she comes? Let her know that we are doing our best to get Alex to stay on the project and make your wish, and that it shouldn’t be us having to be the grown-ups, making your dad see sense?’
‘Yes, you can talk to my mum anytime about anything.’
‘You got it, sister.’
Ryan is on the bed next to Amy and they’re starting to play a video game. Luke has got his phone back. ‘Group selfie?’ he says. ‘Get in, Jesse!’
He holds the phone out and they take photo after photo, laughing together, making funny faces, pulling dramatic poses. When they’re done, they crowd round Luke’s phone, hooting at how hilarious some of the photos have turned out, applying filters and stamps, making the colours pop. Jesse sits back, observing them for just a moment, her friends, brought together by a terrible illness, but finding joy in being together. She’s so lucky to have them, so grateful.
‘Jesse!’ Luke’s voice brings her back into the room. ‘I reckon you should have this one made into a T-shirt.’
In the photo, Jesse is pulling a face, tongue sticking out, eyes bulging. She laughs and playfully bats Luke on the arm, turning away from her thoughts and back into the company of her friends.
CHAPTER 17
H
er legs curled up underneath her, The African Queen playing on a muted television, Kelly looks at her phone before slamming it back on the sofa. Glancing at the television screen, she plays with the remote, volume on, volume off. She picks up the phone and looks at the blank screen. Grabbing a small piece of paper from the side table she jumps up, untangling herself from a blanket and goes to the window, staring out at the night sky.
‘Damn it!’ she mutters before punching in the numbers on the piece of paper.
Max raises his head at the sound of the ringing telephone. Alex is playing a shoot-em-up game and ignores it. Max gives a gentle woof. Annoyed, one hand manipulating the console, Alex snatches up the phone. ‘Hello.’
Silence. He stares at the phone to see if he missed the call.
‘Talk or I hang up,’ he says.
‘It’s Kelly.’
‘Who?’ he says, out of surprise. Kelly was the last person he expected to hear from.
‘Kelly. From the hospital.’
‘How’d you get my number?’
‘You gave your number when you signed in to be a permitted visitor for Jesse, before Dean . . .’
‘What do you want?’
‘You to come back and help Jesse make her wish.’
Alex says nothing. The silence drags on.
‘Look, I’m sorry for the way I’ve behaved towards you. I’ve spoken to Mandy, and she’s given her permission for you to help make Jesse’s wish.’
‘What about her father?’
‘Well, although you have permission from one parent, it might be best if you try to avoid him. Will you please come back?’
‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Alex tells her, disconnecting the call.
Turning to Max, Alex shakes his head. ‘Women,’ he mutters.
It is enough for Max, who goes back to sleep. Alex closes the game he was playing and finds the file he wants, marked JESSE.
Closing her phone, Kelly returns to the sofa, wraps herself in the blanket, turns up the sound on her movie. ‘Men,’ she mumbles to no one.
CHAPTER 18
T
urning off his computer, Alex swings a bag onto his shoulder and leans over the cubicle. He’s excited this morning and filled with determination. Time is running out and he’s not going to let Jesse down – too many adults did that to him when he was her age. He’s going to show them what he can do, all of them, Kelly and that father in particular. He’s also started to feel really excited about the wish. He doesn’t want to curse it but this could be groundbreaking stuff. If he can pull it off, then he may have created something that can be used the world over by people, young and old, wanting to leave behind an immersive, interactive experience for their loved ones. His inward smile disappears as the memory of the only photo he has of his mother, with a seven-year-old Alex sitting on her knee while she reads him a story, threatens to overwhelm him. What would he give to have the very thing he is creating for Jesse? He pulls himself together as he realises Steve is looking at him over the top of the cubicle.
‘Now that I’ve got your attention,’ Steve says to him, ‘I took a phone call yesterday that was meant for Ian. It was from a kid called Ryan. I take it you know him because he knows you.’
‘Ryan, yeah, he’s one of the kids on the ward with Jesse. What did he want?’
‘He’s a smart kid. He rang here looking for your boss. Thank God Ian was out so I told him that was me. He wanted me to tell you to pull your head out of your ass and get on with making Jesse’s wish.’
Alex laughs in appreciation. ‘Shit, Steve, these kids, barely teenagers, are smarter than you and I put together. They see us adults being hopeless and they’re not afraid to call us out. I’m so impressed. I’ll tell him I got your message: you slapped me around and I’m back in the game.’
‘Does that mean I get to slap you around?’
‘No. It means, I’m on it. This afternoon still OK for you?’
‘Yes, I’ll meet you in the car park and you can take us to the part of the beach where Jesse and her family hang out, below where they live.’
‘Would you bring a drone with you, and we’ll get some aerial shots as well?’
‘Sure, no problem.’
Walking past his colleagues, they all call out various forms of: ‘See you. Good luck, Alex, you’ve got this.’
For once, Alex waves and smiles back.
They’re just nearing the exit when Ian appears. ‘Alex, wait up,’ he calls out.
With obvious disinterest in any conversation with Ian, Alex stops walking, forcing Ian to come to him.
‘Heading out?’ Ian asks.
‘Just doing what you told me to do.’
‘So, how’s it going?’
‘Do you want to hear anything other than spectacular?’
‘Come on, Alex, we’re on the same team here.’
‘Yeah, right, sure we are. OK, Ian, anyway, got to go. Oh, by the way Steve’s coming out with me again this afternoon.’
This said as a statement, not a request.
‘Back up a minute. This was something given to you, it’s bad enough you’re not here doing your job, but I can’t let you have Steve or anyone else, we’re behind in the work we have to do for real, paying clients.’
‘Well, you said that Frank wants me to do what I need to do to make Jesse’s wish, and that includes using Steve’s expertise or I’ll never finish it in time . . . if you get what I’m saying.’
Ian’s expression changes and Alex can feel him trying to work out how to back down without losing face.
‘You think you can run this show, don’t you? Just hurry the hell up and finish the job. I’m meeting with a TV network later this week. Publicity, Alex, which means sales and a nice big bonus for us all.’
Disgusted, Alex walks away, shaking his head. Behind him, he hears Ian calling out, ‘Back to work, the lot of you.’
The sooner he can get out of here, the better.
Walking through 6 East, Alex slips a camera from the bag over his shoulder. Jesse and Amy are sitting together on Amy’s bed. Raising the camera he takes a photo. The girls look up at him, smiling.
‘Hey, you didn’t get my good side!’ Amy squeals, while immediately striking a pose.
Alex snaps another photo.
‘What about video?’ Jesse asks Alex.
‘That too, one at time, Jesse, you have to be patient,’ Alex says, smiling.
‘I am patient, I am a patient,’ Jesse says, laughing. ‘You know what I mean.’
Amy strikes another pose, and Alex obliges with another click of his camera, just as Sandy enters the room.
‘What’s going on?’ Sandy asks, looking from Jesse to Amy to Alex.
‘Alex needs to take some photos, is that all right?’ Jesse asks.
‘Sure, just make sure you get permission from everybody you photograph, Alex, and that means permission from parents too.’
‘Yeah, I know. I have releases in my bag for everyone to sign. If they don’t, then I won’t use their images.’
‘I take it this is for your wish, Jesse?’
‘Yes, it is, and Sandy, you’re in it. Can we have your photo, pleeease?’
‘Oh, all right then.’ Sandy sheepishly shrugs her shoulders, turning to Alex who takes a photo. She’s much more self-conscious in front of the camera than the two teenagers.
‘Again,’ he says.
Sandy relaxes into laughter as Alex gets his shot.
‘I’ll get your details and put them in a release for you to sign,’ he tells her.
‘Well,’ Sandy says with a twinkle in her eye, ‘if you two ladies are going to be in a photoshoot, what do you say to a little bit of makeup? I know you have some, Amy, would you like me to send in someone to help you with it?’
‘And our hair, we’ll have to get our hair done,’ Jesse says, teasing.
Even Alex laughs as she pulls at the tufts of spiky hair on her head.
Sandy turns to Alex. ‘Will you excuse us for a few minutes? Kelly’s just outside, maybe you’d like to shoot her.’
The girls laugh, miming firing pistols at each other. Realising the double meaning of what she’s said, Sandy rolls her eyes.
‘Film, photograph . . . you know what I mean.’
With Jesse and Amy giggling hysterically at Sandy’s remark, Alex backs out of the room, unable to conceal his amusement. Glancing up, he sees Amy reaching into her bedside drawer and bringing out a mirror and a lipstick and other things unrecognisable to him.
Alex finds Kelly sitting behind the nurses’ station, writing in a file. Leaning over, he takes a close-up photo of her.
‘Sandy says I have to get your permission to photograph you.’
‘And if I say no?’
‘Then Jesse doesn’t get her wish.’
She gives him a look. ‘We can’t have that, now, can we?’
Alex focuses the lens, taking a few more photos. ‘Just need a head shot or two.’
Kelly smiles, grimaces, turns away laughing. When she sees Alex has stopped shooting, and placed the camera on the desk, she turns serious.
‘Do you really think you can do this?’
‘I don’t know, but I’m going to try.’
Alex sees Kelly look beyond him and follows her gaze. Sandy is heading towards them with Jesse and Amy, IVs removed, now changed into trendy clothes, glossy lips, subtle eye shadow, Jesse batting her eyelids, Amy putting a floppy hat on and off, both girls laughing. Alex gasps. All he can think is they should be on a beach, or at a shopping centre, wherever girls their age hang out.
Their eyes meet. Both look away again quickly, feeling their cheeks burn.
He turns to Kelly. ‘They shouldn’t be here.’
Kelly whispers back, ‘I know. My only advice is just do your job, don’t think about it, it’s the only way to get through.’
‘That’s easier said than done.’
